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Vancouver Columbian: Fatal Crashes Up Sharply In Clark County

Twenty-six people have lost their lives on Clark County roadways so far this year, a number that far outpaces local traffic fatality trends over the last decade.

It’s a stark statistic without a straight explanation. The collisions followed no pattern; they happened in scattered locales around the county, and in some no cause has been determined. The people who died represent a diverse mix of people using roadways — drivers, passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists and skateboarders.

Two women were killed by a hit-and-run driver on their way home from a baby shower. A security guard found a man dead in a field after he was apparently thrown from his all-terrain vehicle. A Vancouver man was struck by a Mustang while attempting to cross six lanes of Northeast Highway 99.

The most recent death was Thursday afternoon, when Trina Wase drove her SUV into a Clark Public Utilities substation at Northeast 28th Street and 112th Avenue.